Quiet nights in the Ionian forests
by LoveableWeirdo
Summary: A night in the Ionian forests leads a fox and monkey to reconnect with one another. Will they get closer with time and the encouragement of others or be pulled apart for the sake of their dreams?


League of Legends and all characters in the story are oqned by Riot Games. Hope you enjoy, been a while since I wrote a story actually.

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The breeze that swept through the countryside was dry and chilly; a sign of that summer had come to an end at the island nation of Ionia. The citizens were warned of a short summer during this time of the year though everyone expected it to come much later rather than sooner. The cold, gentle breeze found its way into one of the bedrooms of an old-looking wooden shack that bordered the edge of Ionian forests. A monkey the size of a human man, dressed in nothing more than pyjama bottoms sat idly by on the windowsill of the old shack, his tail lay limp to one side. Wukong, a student of the Wuju arts. His emerald green eyes gazed at the infinite sea of stars and the illuminating light of the full moon. The monkey turned his attention towards the nearby forest and glimpsed at the beauty of the Ionian forest. A small smile appeared from the monkey's face. This serene moment made him nostalgic for his own home in the Plague jungles, as far down south as possible, past the Shurima desert and past the Kumungu jungles was his old home. But that was many years ago and too many experiences have occurred since then. Ionia was now his home, side by side with his Master, Yi, and solely focused on the mastering of the Wuju arts. The large, grand trees stood firm as the breeze continued to blow, the sounds of nocturnal critters that hid from their predators and the stars that were scattered haphazardly throughout the night sky was a sight that he was very much familiar with. It was near impossible not to see this view every night but somehow Wukong felt that today was special, as if something in his gut was telling him that something will happen tonight. He truly was thankful to live in such a place. Close to nature so as to not be bothered by unwanted visitors but not too far from civilisation that he and his master were labelled as some kind of hermits. The nearby village used to be full of young men, eager to learn the ways of the Wuju. They hoped that they would be worthy enough to be chosen as a disciple but as the monkey's master said to him many times before, it was but a long time ago.

Wukong's eyes wandered outside again, the silhouettes of animals in the distance danced outside only dimly illuminated by the moon. He didn't expect to see anything but the moon's light was enough for the young monkey's eyes to notice a figure. He narrowed his sights and spotted a figure that entered the forest, several feet away. The figure was too far to see any recognisable features… if it was human. Luckily, he spotted the distinct feature of the figure that he would recognise anywhere, the silhouettes of what looked like several large tails, each one moved almost as if it had a mind of its own. Wukong smirked; it really was a special night. It had been too long since their last encounter so their reunion is due. The sounds of nocturnal creatures being awoken, birds flew away, maybe in the path of the intruder, and the rustlings of leaves from the trees it had passed seemed to slowly wake the vast forest from its slumber. The figure's speed was so fast that the monkey's eyes widened with surprise. The monkey looked back into his bedroom, an old Ionian soldier's uniform, modified just for him displayed on a stand. The bright red armour with intricate carvings of dragons with a gold trim was tempting to put on, his weapon, the staff given to him by the famous blacksmith Doran, laid there uselessly on his bed. The monkey considered for a few brief seconds to get his weapon and armour but he knew he had no time and jumped off the windowsill. He landed effortlessly, feet first and raced to where the figure entered the forest. The cold breeze didn't bother him; it never has, even as it blew his fur in different directions, after all he was essentially made of stone. It felt natural, the feeling of dirt on his feet as he walked barefooted into the darkness. The monkey scanned the area for a clue and spotted through sheer luck and with the assistance of the full moon, shoeprints headed into the forest and small strands of white fur.

"Now what are you doing sneaking around in the forest in the middle of the night huh?" he asked himself as he continued to inspect the white fur.

Wukong manoeuvred his way skilfully up the trees as he relied on his heightened senses to track the figure. The light from the moon barely touched the forest floor with how thick the tree's leaves covered the area but he could still spot trail of broken branches and leaves and footprints where the figure had passed through. The monkey followed the trail, almost engrossed by what felt like a hunt. He mused that he could probably catch up to this strange creature and increased his pace; his arms grabbed every branch close to him as he swung from one tree to the next with ease. It was what felt like minutes later until he found that he had taken so many large strides that the edge of the forest was no longer visible. The monkey was at the heart of this beautiful forest. Exhilaration, curiosity, apprehension, anticipation, a mix of emotions flooded in as she continued on. It felt like months when he had felt so many different things as the same time. Wukong didn't feel tired as his heart continued to race.

Wukong stopped for a moment, the trail of branches and leaves had ended. The number of trees had decreased as he ventured forward. He sniffed the air for the creature but its scent had changed; a familiar scent that drew him closer. The monkey's ears can hear the sound of rushing water. The sound was unmistakeable, immeasurable amounts of water that crashed into more water from several feet up. He moved towards the sound and found himself on the firm branch of one of the trees that edged a clearing. The monkey cautiously moved the branches of leaves to one side and was suddenly awed with the sight. The moon had casted its light perfectly on this location, a lagoon in the middle of the forest and even more impressive was the expansive size of the waterfall. Water that fell from above appeared pure white as it rushed into the waters of the lagoon. Gallons of water, never-ending ebbed and flowed from the basin of the lagoon to a number of small rivers that lead downstream. Wukong couldn't believe it but he had travelled further in to this forest that he had ever done before. The view was unimaginable; the water below perfectly reflected the billions of stars that littered the sky. The moon's light as it touched the water from the lake made the water glisten. The monkey observed his surroundings; the creature's scent had changed here, he spotted clothes discarded on top of a nearby rock but its owner was nowhere to be found. The scent however, it could only be the smell of wet fur.

Not a moment after he made that conclusion, a woman emerged from the edge of the lagoon, she shook the water out of her long, charcoal-black hair and fox ears atop her head perked up. A second later, her nine, impossibly white, tails emerged from the water. The monkey could see every curve of her body; he could feel his face going red and hid back behind the leaves.

"She's your friend, she's your friend, she's your friend," the monkey chanted, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of this fact. "Romance has no place for Wuju."

The monkey's relationship with the woman was… straightforward at first but became complicated to say the least. Her name was Ahri, and she was a "nine-tailed fox". They had been friends for many years, both have bonded through their adaption to human society and their norms, both have shared intimate secrets with one another and both supported the others' dreams wholeheartedly. It was only last year that their "friendship" became something more. What happened wasn't a mistake but if his master knew then he would forbid them from ever seeing each other. Obviously, the monkey had a choice and choosing to continue his study of the Wuju art strained their relationship. Over time, Ahri had begun to converse with him once again but they weren't as close as they used to be, sometimes the monkey thinks if it's for the best this way.

Then he heard the woman make a loud, audible sigh. He moved the tree branch again, this time only very slightly, in case he was found out. A chill was sent down his spine when he could see that her attention was exactly where he was. The few moments felt like hours, she had a cheeky smile on her face, as if she had known for a long time that he had been following her. He had a harrowing thought, that maybe he was lead here by her on purpose.

'T-There's no way that's true…' he thought.

The question was answered when Ahri winked at his general direction, he had been caught red-handed. The monkey hung his head in shame, he had considered just going back home and hope that this night is just some cruel dream made by his over imaginative mind.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just keep swimming by myself…" she said out loud, her attention no longer where the monkey was. "It would be nice if I had some company though."

Wukong's heart beat louder and faster just from that comment, he considered joining her and was about to speak up when a third party's voice emerged from the other side of the lagoon.

"Don't mind if I do!" said an unfamiliar voice.

From the other side of the lagoon emerged a man from the trees, his speed was on par with Ahri's maybe he was even faster. He had a slim build with white, slicked back hair and red hair in the middle, he wore a small red cloak and green trousers, he was also adorned with the skulls of small birds with one on his cloak adorned with a plumage of purple feathers but his most striking feature were the avian-like features. The man's feet were that of a large bird of prey, his ears pointed and feathered and though try as it might, his red cloak could not hide the large golden yellow feathers that protruded from his back. The man looked excited, a little too excited even for Ahri. She covered herself with one hand and focused her energy into a ball with the other and shot it towards the man.

"Rakan, duck!" ordered another voice from where the man previously emerged.

Without hesitation the man slid on to his knees and arched his back backwards to dodge Ahri's attack. Wukong jumped out of the tree to try and intercept the man from getting to Ahri. Wukong lept into the air to deliver a kick to the man's skull but Wukong suddenly felt a sharp pain come from his side. Wukong noticed that he had been struck with a purple feather, immediately he opted to protect Ahri instead. He lept again into the water with some difficulty and hugged her tightly as he used his body as a shield between her and the strange man. Wukong closed his eyes and waited for an impending attack but to his surprise, nothing.

Both he and Ahri turned their backs towards the man and were surprised to see him standing there alongside a woman with similar avian-like attributes with her ear pointed upwards and feathered as it poked out of her hood, her feet were also similar to a bird of prey she had long, striking crimson red hair and wore a dark purple coat of feathers that obscured the rest of her clothing. Similar to the man she had skull of small birds around her clothing with one that contained a plumage of golden feathers. Wukong and Ahri stared at the couple and the woman stared back while the mysterious man looked around the lagoon, his attention not just on one thing. It was only after the man got bored of looking around that the silence between the four was broken.

"Sooo… my name's Rakan," he introduced himself. "And you are…?"

"Rakan, shut up," the woman scolded him. "They're obviously in shock."

"Or they could just be slow," Rakan responded immediately.

"Pretty sure it's shock," the woman assured him.

"And how would you know?" Rakan asked.

"I know what shocked looks like, now seriously shut up." She scolded the man again.

The man pouted playfully but listened to the woman's order. She then extended a hand to Wukong and Ahri and flashed a brief smile. Wukong grabbed her hand and got out of the water along with Ahri, who covered herself with the use of her tails.

"I'm guessing you don't get to see a lot of Vastayas running around," She said. "So yeah I'm Xayah and guy there admiring himself in the mirror is Rakan."

Rakan put the pocket mirror he had on him away as soon as he heard his name and flashed a smile at Ahri. Wukong and Ahri still didn't know how to respond but it was obvious that these two mysterious strangers weren't trying to cause trouble.

"…Wukong … and this is my friend Ahri…" the monkey responded, his guard still up for whatever happens next.

"Friend?! Really from the way you leapt to protect her I thought you were bumping uglies, making the beast with two backs, the freaky McNasty!" interrupted Rakan.

His comment was met with a swift punch to the face and Rakan found himself flying in the air into the lagoon's water, he resurfaced with puppy dog eyes directed at Xayah, his lips whimpered as if he was a pet that was just disciplined.

"Rakan, meili, you know I love you but sometimes baby, what you say is just completely inappropriate to the situation- like, just- ew." Xayah explained.

"It's okay, I still love you." Rakan reassured her, as he floated around in the lagoon.

A small laugh escaped from both Wukong and Ahri, which caused Xayah to chuckle as well. The three agreed that maybe it's for the best to find a better place to talk. After a few minutes of Ahri putting her clothes, and a healing salve rubbed where Wukong was struck with Xayah's feather, all four ventured out away from the lagoon to find a more appropriate place to talk. Wukong suggested that they make their way back to his home but Xayah and Rakan refused to go anywhere remotely close to where humans lived. Ahri suggested that it may be best to find a small clearing, enough to make a fire to keep the four warm from the cold.

"So what are Vastayas?" Wukong asked, curious from when it was first mentioned.

"Me, Xayah, you and her," Rakan answered vaguely.

"Ugh, what he means is we are whose lineage contains both human blood and the spiritual magic of a pre-human race," Xayah expressed in words. "So you, Ahri are Vastaya, eventually different Vastaya adopted different forms because they travelled to faraway lands, ergo, you Wukong."

"But I was born from a rock! My skin is as hard as stone." Wukong called out.

"Were you born after the Great Rune War?" Rakan asked.

"Y-Yeah?" he answered.

"Then you're likely to be Vastaya," she pointed out "'Sides you don't see a lot of human sized talking monkeys now do you?"

"When you put it like that…" Wukong said, almost agreeing with her point.

"Also there have a few notable Vastaya causing trouble around different parts of Runeterra, you guys know that crazy bounty hunter hunting that giant bug right?" Rakan said.

"Rengar's Vastaya too?" Ahri mumbled surprised by that new bit of information.

"So where have all the Vastaya been this whole time?" Ahri asked.

"…It's pretty hard to explain, we won't bore you with the little intricacies of it all but just know that it's really cool!" Rakan answered.

They had finally reached another clearing, large enough to make a small campfire and they went off in different directions to gather some wood. They reconvened each carrying a sizeable bundle of sticks and dead branches, Rakan gathered half of them in the middle while Wukong rubbed two dried pieces of wood together to make a small spark, they brought the wood closer to feed the small flame and all four relaxed next to the growing fire. Xayah rested her head onto Rakan's chest as he put his hand around her and kissed her on the forehead; they looked perfect for one another which were a massive contrast to the other pair. Wukong and Ahri sat relatively close to each other but neither one would make eye contact with the other, occasionally one would tilt their head to check on the other but their interactions ended there.

"So you two actually aren't together?" Xayah asked, still resting on Rakan's chest. "Could 'a fooled me."

"Its-"Ahri was about to say but was interrupted by Xayah.

"Complicated? Pffft, what a cliché."

"Meila, can we really judge?" Rakan asked. "I mean, look at us."

The couple laughed and snuggled closer together. Wukong smiled at the Vastaya couple's relationship. It felt safe, secure, as if nothing could break that bond.

"By the way, when we're done here, we are gonna have a conversation about you running off to go skinny-dipping with some girl that isn't me!" Xayah reminded Rakan.

Rakan began to sweat bullets, his eyes darted in different directions. He caught a glimpse of Xayah who shot him daggers from her eyes.

'Maybe not that secure…' Wukong thought.


End file.
